This article originally appeared in Reggae Report in 1996 Bunny Wailer on Record by Lee O'Neill Bunny Wailer has always been known as the mystical part of the Wailers trinity. Bob Marley was the prophet, the spokesman, the visionary. Peter Tosh the streetsmart tough, the confrontational Rasta soldier. Bunny's role was less well-defined but was clearly understood to be spiritual. Although having many of the same characteristics as Marley and Tosh, Wailer's presence hovered in the background. It was more ethereal than the other two, partly because both Marley and Tosh grabbed the leading spot more frequently but also because Wailer's voice was more a part of the group and less a distinctive element on its own. This perception of Bunny has carried over to his solo work, particularly following the release of his debut album, BLACKHEART MAN (Mango, 1976). That view of Wailer's work overlooks some critical elements of Wailer's career and doesn't give him the credit he deserves. For while unquestionably a deeply cultural and occasionally mystical artist, Wailer is also an extremely skilled craftsman who has consistently proven his ability in the recording studio and he has also consistently shown a flair for musical innovation not always present in reggae. BLACKHEART MAN is simply one of the greatest reggae albums ever. The lyrics are among the most powerful and the most dread ever committed to vinyl but there is also a strong poetic sensibility that is not often present in this hard-edged music. I would be hard-pressed to offer better examples of what Rastafari is than "Fig Tree," "Dreamland" or "Blackheart Man" itself. In addition to being a masterful lyricist, Wailer's production and arranging on this album is exquisite. Using a foundation solidly built by Carlton Barrett and either Robbie Shakespeare or Familyman Barrett, Wailer weaves a rich musical tapestry of reggae guitar and keyboards, Nyabinghi drumming, acoustic guitars, flutes, saxes and vocals that provides real depth to his singing without ever getting too complex. PROTEST (Mango, 1977) followed BLACKHEART MAN and was something of a let-down. His improvisations on "Johnny Too Bad" and "Get Up Stand Up" were impressive but the musical experimentation of BLACKHEART MAN was toned down and his originals lacked the vision of the previous album. STRUGGLE (Solomonic, 1979) was more representative of Wailer at his best. Musically, it marked the beginning of a Bunny Wailer "sound" that combined a hard rockers groove, executed with a light touch and strong element of Nyabinghi music. "Bright Soul" drew on the bible for lyrical inspiration, "Old Dragon" and "Struggle" returned to the prophetic themes of BLACKHEART MAN and the other songs followed in the same path. It's an excellent album, full of insight and carefully put together by Wailer for maximum impact. STRUGGLE and IN I FATHER'S HOUSE (Solomonic, 1980) were recorded at roughly the same time, the latter being a collection of singles released over the late 70s. IN I FATHER'S HOUSE also showed a change in direction with party songs like "Rockers" and "Rockin' Time" and a remake of the Studio One rudeboy classic "Let Him Go." In fact, this pair of albums represented the last strictly roots albums Wailer would release until 1988's LIBERATION, although he continued to record conscious singles throughout the 80s. DUBD'SCO Vols. 1 and 2 are collections of dubs from BLACKHEART MAN, STRUGGLE and IN I FATHER'S HOUSE that are very untraditional as far as dubs go, with fast, rockers riddims, wild sound effects and more vocals than one would expect. ROOTS RADICS ROCKERS REGGAE (Shanachie, 1983) was an international release of IN I FATHER'S HOUSE with addition of a couple of extra tracks. BUNNY SINGS THE WAILERS (Mango, 1980) was Wailer's last album for Mango, his first with Sly & Robbie and his first look back. Ten songs from the Wailers' Studio One days, some associated with Bunny, some with Bob and Tosh's "I'm the Toughest," all performed in a strictly cutting edge Sly & Robbie rubadub style, it does a wonderful job updating these classics without sounding silly. TRIBUTE TO BOB MARLEY (Solomonic, 1981) was released a year later after Bob had passed and it's a touching memorial. Not only were Marley and Wailer musical compatriots for over ten years but they were childhood friends as well. On TRIBUTE, Bunny doesn't merely cover these songs but gets inside and offers his own interpretations. Musically, TRIBUTE features the Roots Radics, the world's hottest dancehall band at the time, supplemented by Sly & Robbie. TRIBUTE TO BOB MARLEY was resequenced by Shanachie (who also added two new songs) and became TIME WILL TELL (Shanachie, 1990), the album that gave Bunny his first Grammy. The songs on these two albums also became part of Bunny's live show. BUNNY WAILER LIVE! (Solomonic, 1986) is an abysmally recorded live album that recreates the pattern of roots songs - dance songs - Wailers songs that Wailer uses in performance. The BUNNY WAILER IN CONCERT video (Shanachie, 1993) is more strongly recommended to give a sense of how uplifting a Bunny Wailer concert can be. Bunny built on the sound of the Radics for ROCK & GROOVE (Solomonic, 1982) the sweetest dancehall record ever made. Bunny rocks and swings in a style that is strongly reminiscent of the great Curtis Mayfield, while the Radics groove in their inimitable style. "Cool Runnings," "Rootsman Skanking" and "Rock and Groove" wine and grine with the best of them, without the hyperactivity that would characterize dancehall reggae. Shanachie added a couple of loose singles to ROCK & GROOVE to come up with ROOTSMAN SKANKING (Shanachie, 1986). HOOK LINE & SINKER (Solomonic, 1982) added a couple of scoops of New Orleans funk to the ROCK & GROOVE foundation and the results are fine indeed. Unfortunately, HOOK LINE & SINKER was not well received, being seen (inaccurately) as a sellout to commercialism and/or disco. It also marked the beginning of a period of inactivity and inconsistency. MARKETPLACE (Shanachie, 1985) was his first album of new material released on Shanachie and at best it is lukewarm. Without the musical verve of ROCK & GROOVE or the lyrical strength of BLACKHEART MAN, it is a mixed bag of OK songs and not OK songs. It was followed by LIVE! and RULE DANCE HALL (Shanachie, 1987), another inconsistent effort. This time, Bunny claims a position at the head of the dancehall, except the evidence he offers is a collection of tepid music tracks and boastful lyrics. Highlights are updates of "Put It On" and "Stir It Up." It wasn't until he returned to the roots style of LIBERATION (Shanachie, 1988) and the American tour that supported it that he seemed to catch fire again. While recalling the strengths of BLACKHEART MAN, LIBERATION is a highly contemporary album filled with sharp political and cultural observations. Musically, it takes the sound forged in ROCK & GROOVE and applies it to more serious topics. While some of the songs now sound a bit dated, LIBERATION remains one of the most potent albums of the 1980s and it marked the beginning of a Bunny Wailer renaissance. In 1990, Bunny won the Grammy for TIME WILL TELL and recorded GUMPTION (Shanachie, 1990), a solid album that mixed covers of Bob Marley, Johnny Osbourne and the Maytals with dancehall oriented originals. The songs were tight, the riddims hard and while GUMPTION broke no new ground, it was highly successful on its own terms. JUST BE NICE (RAS, 1990) didn't just break new ground, it tried to build a whole new foundation. In 1983, Bunny wrote and produced "Electric Boogie" for Marcia Griffiths and through a series of flukes, the song became an international smash to the point where it is now impossible to get married without playing "Electric Boogie" at the reception. Wailer took that sound, part rubadub reggae, part New Orleans funk, part electro-dance music and part rap, mixed it together with some new originals along with remakes of songs from HOOK LINE & SINKER and ROCK & GROOVE and created a whole new reggae hybrid. At it's best ("Soul Rocking Party," "Electric Boogie," "Back to School,") JUST BE NICE will rock anyone's house. At it's worst it's still pretty hot, but like HOOK LINE & SINKER it was poorly received and the experiment was rejected. DANCE MASSIVE (Shanachie, 1992) went for the same target as RULE DANCE HALL and missed again, only this time Bunny sounded petulant and uninspired. CRUCIAL! ROOTS CLASSICS (Shanachie, 1994) collected the roots songs released as singles throughout the early 80s as well as tracks from STRUGGLE. Considering the different recording sessions and bands, it hangs together remarkably well and will be considered one of his top albums. Highlights include the title track, "Boderation" and the STRUGGLE songs and in 1995, CRUCIAL gave Wailer his second Grammy award. Finally, Shanachie has created a sampler of the best of Bunny on RETROSPECTIVE (Shanachie, 1995), a 16 track collection of songs from throughout his career, heavily oriented towards his roots and culture material. RAS is also in the process of producing a multi-CD set of Bunny singing Wailer material that is said to be definitive.